Ghana, Togo and Benin: Festivals and Traditions

Highlights:

Our fantastic cultural odyssey takes us to the most remote regions of Ghana, Togo and Benin to discover lost tribal worlds guided by ancient spirits.

Along the coast, in the heart of voodoo country, we visit practitioners, watch trance-dances and learn about the great influence voodoo spirits still have on people.

Heading inland through northern savannah, we discover the Taneka tribe on a rocky mountain, then the Tamberma with their fairy-tale clay castles and finally we enter the Ashanti kingdom in Kumasi.

We end our tour exploring the former Slave Coast, with its haunting European forts. Indeed one of the most complete and spectacular tours in West Africa.

Great experience combined with the choice of good accommodation.

For travelers who want to get acquainted with this incredible region … and love Africa!

Akwasidae Festival (Ghana). In the Ashanti calendar certain days each year are set aside for a very special celebration at the Royal Palace in Kumasi and this traditional ceremony takes place in one of the last African Kingdoms which has maintained its ancient rituals still alive.

During this celebration, the King sits under a spectacular colorful umbrella, is adorned in vivid cloth and massive centuries old jewelry (Ashanti gold jewelry and masks are considered masterpieces of African art) and is surrounded by the Ashanti elders and advisors, all under the authority of the Royal Speaker who holds in his hands the symbols of power. In front of the King a narrow passage of dignitaries is also formed, representing all roles and positions of power within the kingdom: sword and knife bearers, armed guards, carriers of beautiful ostrich feathers fans etc. The ceremony is then made up of a procession of royal court attendants bringing gifts, storytellers reciting the history of the Ashanti Kings, drummers & trumpeters playing horns of ivory. Corpulent dancers dressed in vivid red costumes perform an erotic dance. The mother queen also joins the ceremony accompanied by her attendants. We will witness and experience the splendor, the flavor and the atmosphere of one of last great African monarchs of the forests.

Akwasidae - departures of: Feb 15th, Mar 29th, May 10th (low season rate), Jun 21st (low season rate), Aug 2th, Sept 13th, Dec 6th

Egun masks (Benin). The Egungun is a very powerful masks secret society. Egun masks are the reincarnation of deceased people and are known and feared for their aggressiveness and their unpredictable way of moving around. Intensively coloured, masks are covered with a multitude of pieces of cloth of many red shades. They emerge from the forest and form a procession through the streets of the village, leaping towards any foolish spectator who dares getting too close. And nobody wants to be touched by the Egun because any contact carries the danger of death. Better watch out! When masks arrive they perform a kind of bull fight designed to scare the crowd but in truth they are actually greeted with bursts of laughter!

Departures of Dec 26th (high season rate)

Apart from the main traditional festivals, participants to the tour will also always attend the following events:

- a voodoo ceremony
- a fire dance
- an Ashanti funeral

Day 1	Arrival in Accra (Ghana) and transfer to the hotel.
Day 2	African Metropolis, from Accra to Sogakope
Day 3	Fetish market, from Sogakope to Baguida
Day 4	Voodoo, from Baguida to Ouidah
Day 5	Royal Palace, from Ouidah to Dassa
Day 6	Fetish hills, from Dassa to Natitingou
Day 7	Fire Dance, from Natitingou to Sokode
Day 8	Rainforest, from Sokode to Kloto
Day 9	Glass beads, from Kpalime to Koforidua
Day 10	Ashanti, from Koforidua to Kumasi
Day 11	Golden Kingdoms, from Kumasi to Anomabu
Day 12	Slaves’Castles, from Anomabu to Accra

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Accra, Gulf of Guinea - GHANA

Arrival in Accra (Ghana) and transfer to the hotel.

Meals: own arrangements
Overnight: Accra City Hotel or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 2: African Metropolis, from Accra to Sogakope (120 km – 3 hr) – GHANA

Accra, the capital of Ghana, has maintained its unique identity despite the fast paced development currently underway in this intriguing African city. The program includes a visit to the National Museum, one of the first works of independent Ghana - the idea inspiring the Museum is to relate Ghanaian art to the rest of the continent and to prove the existence of an African history as part of the general history of humanity. We explore the old quarter of James Town, inhabited by the local population known as the Ga. Our tour ends with the visit of a workshop where they specialize in building fantasy coffins. These special handcrafted coffins can reflect any shape: fruits, animals, fish, cars, airplanes…. the only limit being imagination! Started in Africa, these flamboyant coffin designs are by now collected worldwide and exposed in museums.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Cisneros Hotel or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 3: Fetish market, from Sogakope to Baguida (110 km – 3 hr) - GHANA & TOGO

Togo border crossing (Aflao).

Lomé, the vibrant capital of Togo, is the only African city which was a colony of the Germans, the British and the French. It is also one of the few capitals in the world bordering with another nation. These elements have led to the development of a unique identity reflected in the life style of its inhabitants and in the architecture of the town: Lomé is indeed a cross point for people, trade and cultures, a cosmopolitan city in small size. We will visit: the central market with its famous “Nana Benz”, women who control the market of the expensive “pagne” (=cloths) coming from Europe and sold all over West Africa (unfortunately the market has been partially destroyed by fire); the colonial buildings in the administrative quarter where the flavour of colonial time is still very present; and the fetish market where we can find an eclectic assortment of all the necessary ingredients for love potions and magical concoctions.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Hotel Madiba or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 4: Voodoo, from Baguida to Ouidah (100 km – 3 hr) - TOGO & BENIN

In a remote hidden village we will join a Voodoo ceremony: the frenetic rhythm of the drums and the chants of the adepts help calling in the voodoo spirit who then takes possession of some of the dancers. They fall into a deep trance: eyes rolling back, grimaces, convulsions, insensitivity to fire or pain. Sakpata, Heviesso, Mami Water are just some of the voodoos divinities who can show up. In this narrow village, surrounded by the magic atmosphere of the ceremony, we will finally understand what people mean when they say: “In your Churches you pray God; in our voodoo shrine we become God!”

Benin border crossing (Hilla Kodji / Save Kodji)

Drive to Ouidah. Ouidah was conquered by the Dahomey army during the 18th century to become one of the main slave ports. Today Ouidah enjoys an Afro-Portuguese architecture, and the python temple faces the Catholic Cathedral. The laid back attitude of the locals blends in harmoniously with the thunder of the distant waves and the rhythm of the drums - a timeless atmosphere very well described by Bruce Chatwin in his book "The Vice-Roy of Ouidah". On foot we visit the Python Temple and the Portuguese Fort, now a museum on the history of Ouidah and the slave trade. We end our city tour by following the “slave road” to the beach, the point of “no return” where slaves used to board ships.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Hotel Casa del Papa or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 5: Royal Palace, from Ouidah to Dassa (250 km – 5 hr) - BENIN

We cross Lake Nokwe with a motorized boat to reach Ganvie, the largest and most beautiful African village on stilts. The approximately 25,000 inhabitants of the Tofinou ethnic group build their huts on teak stilts and cover the roofs with a thick layer of leaves. Fishing is their main activity. The village has managed to preserve its traditions and environment despite the long-lasting human presence in a closed setting; and the lake is not over-fished. Life unfolds each day around the canoes that men, women and children guide with ease using brightly colored poles. It is with these canoes that men fish, women deliver goods to the market and children go to school and play.

We move to Abomey where we visit the Royal Palace. The walls of the palace are decorated with bas-reliefs representing symbols of the ancient Dahomey kings. Now a museum listed on the Unesco World Heritage List, it displays items belonging to the ancient kings: thrones, cult altars, statues, costumes and weapons. A Kingdom whose economy was for a long time based on the slave trade: a permanent state of war made it possible for the kings to capture thousands of prisoners whom they then sold as slaves. The royal army also included a female troop famous for its boldness and aggressive fighting spirit. In the middle of the royal courtyard there is a temple built with a mixture of clay, gold dust and human blood. At the height of their power there were up to 4.000 women in the palace harem. A walk around the buildings helps the visitor to recall the past splendour of the court, a court which also proudly challenged the powerful armies coming to colonize the continent.

If applying, Egun dancing masks.
(if Egun:
day 3: Lome city tour and Voodoo;
day 4: Ganvie and Ouidah
no changes in overngihts)

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Hotel Jeko or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 6: Fetish hills, from Dassa to Natitingou (350 km – 6 hr) – BENIN

We stop at the Dankoli Fetish, an important place for the Voodoo cult: thousands of little sticks are pushed in the fetish as testimony of the countless prayers for a good harvest, a happy wedding, an easy delivery, success at school etc. Once the prayers are answered, people come back to sacrifice what they had promised - a goat, a chicken or a cow, according to the nature of the prayer. Traces of blood, palm alcohol or oil on the fetish are proof that many prayers have been answered.

In the afternoon we discover old Taneka villages located on a mountain with the same name. The villages are made up of round houses covered with a conical roof protected at the top by a terra cotta pot. The upper part of the village is inhabited by the young initiated and by the fetish priests who only cover themselves with a goat skin and always carry a long pipe. This ethnic group has been living on an archaeological site for centuries, in fact it looks as if the first inhabitants (from Kabye origins) moved to the mountain during the IXth century. Since then, other populations have joined thus forming a kind of melting-pot where despite the fact that each group kept its own cults and initiation rites, common religious and political institutions were defined.

As we wander among the villages along alleys bordered by smooth stones, we may come across half naked men. The Taneka people believe that in order to “become” a man, it is necessary to combine time, patience and a lot of… blood from sacrificed animals. It actually is a lifetime process in the sense that life itself becomes a rite of passage, therefore life should not be conditioned by a “before” and an “after” but rather it is following a continuous path.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Hotel Tata Somba or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 7: Fire Dance, from Natitingou to Sokode (180 km – 4 hr) – BENIN & TOGO

We enter the land of the Somba & Tamberma who live in fortified dwellings. Similar in form to medieval castles, they are one of the most beautiful examples of ancient African architecture. Their style impressed Le Corbusier so much that he spoke of «sculptural architecture». In fact the houses are built by hand, layer after layer, adding round mud balls and shaping them as per the plan of the house. A kind of sensual gesture mixing strength, care and beauty. Their strong tradition beliefs are proved by the presence of big shrines - of phallic form - at the entrance of their homes. With the permission granted to us by the inhabitants we enter their homes to better understand their way of life. Actually their houses are a projection of their anthropology and cosmology - the ground floor, with its darkness, represents death and is the place of ancestors; the second floor, open to the sky, represents life and is the place where grand mothers keep babies until they “find out” which ancestor has come back as the new life - only then will the baby be allowed to come down from the terrace. All - family, food supplies and stock - are kept inside the house, for safety and survival in case of attack by enemies. For centuries these populations have been seeking refuge in the Atakora Mountains to escape slave traders.

Togo border (Bokoumbe/Nadoba)

In the evening, fire dance. At the centre of the village a large fire lights up the faces of the participants, they dance to the hypnotic beat of the drums eventually leaping into the glowing embers, picking up burning coals, passing them over their bodies and even putting them in their mouths … all this without hurting themselves or showing any sign of pain. It’s difficult to explain such a performance. Is it matter of courage? Self suggestion? Magic? Maybe it really is the fetishes that protect them from the fire.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Hotel Central or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 8: Rainforest, from Sokode to Kloto (290 km – 5 hr) – TOGO

We will head southwards, with a stop on the way in Atakpame, a typical African town built on hills where all the products coming from the nearby forests can be found. Through their skilled work on small weaving looms, men of the region make the large brightly coloured fabric called “Kente”.

From Atakpame we move to the tropical forests surrounding Kpalime, a town with a rich colonial past which is now an important trade center. Visit of the market and of the arts center.

At night, walk in the forest to discover the mysterious world of the tropical forest in the darkness and so meet with the majesty of the tropical trees, the sounds of tam-tams and the echoes of wild animals. Under the guidance of a local entomologist, we will learn about endemic butterflies and insects.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Auberge JP Nectar (all rooms ensuite)

Day 9: Glass beads, from Kpalime to Koforidua (220 km – 5 hr) – GHANA

Ghana border crossing and continuation to the Volta Region.

The area of Krobo is famous all around the world for its beads. Here they are produced and used for cults and aesthetic purposes. We will visit a factory specialized in the production of those beads and even follow the process of making one! The craftsmen have been making beads following the same long lasting traditional technique for centuries. They use scrap glass that is grounded into a fine powder. The glass powder is then meticulously made into patterns and placed into hand-made clay moulds covered in kaolin. The beads are cooked then decorated, washed and eventually strung.

We reach Koforidua on time to visit the weely beads market. Great opportunity for shopping.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: New Capital View or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 10: Ashanti, from Koforidua to Kumasi (200 km – 5 hr) – GHANA

Kumasi is the historical and spiritual capital of the old Ashanti Kingdom. The Ashanti people were one of the most powerful nations in Africa until the end of the 19th century, when the British annexed Ashanti Country to their Gold Coast colony. The tribute paid today to the Asantehene (=King) is the best evidence of their past splendour and strength. With nearly one million inhabitants, Kumasi is a sprawling city with a fantastic central market, one of the biggest in Africa. Every type of Ashanti craft (leather goods, pottery, Kente cloth) is found here, along with just about every kind of tropical fruit and vegetable.

The program includes a visit to the Ashanti Cultural Centre: a rich collection of Ashanti artefacts housed in a wonderful reproduction of an Ashanti house. In the afternoon we participate – if available – in a traditional Ashanti funeral, attended by mourners wearing beautifully red or black togas. We say “funerals” but it means a “festive” celebration: the deceased in fact is believed to be still with his/her family and through this ceremony he/she becomes an ancestor. Relatives and friends gather, socialize and celebrate his/her memory. The chief arrives surrounded by his court under the shade of large umbrellas while drums give rhythm to the dancers whose intricate moves are highly symbolic.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Miklin Hotel or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 11: Golden Kingdoms, from Kumasi to Anomabu (250 km – 4 hr) – GHANA

In the morning continuation of the tour of Kumasi, with the visit of the Royal Palace Museum hosting a unique collection of gold jewels worn by the Ashanti court.

If applying, Akwasidae Festival.
In the afternoon drive to the coast.

Meals: B - L - D
Overnight: Anomabu Beach Resort or similar (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 12: Slaves’Castles, from Anomabu to Accra (180 km – 3 hr) – GHANA

We start our day with the visit of Elmina Castle, the oldest European building in Africa, erected by the Portuguese in the 15th century. At different times the castle has been used as a warehouse to trade gold, ivory, and eventually slaves. The castle we visit today is the result of successive extension works and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The old Dutch Cemetery in Elmina goes back to 1806. Outside the castle, a wonderful fishing village with lots of large colorful fishing boats - every day these canoes are guided by skilled fishermen across strong ocean waves and currents, “fighting” to earn a living. In the old town we will see the Posuban, the shrines of the old “Asafo companies” - the warriors who used to put their offerings on the large colorful statues. The alleys in the old town have a very lively atmosphere, bringing us back to a time when Elmina was a busy colonial town.

In the late morning drive to Accra and in the evening transfer to the airport for the flight out.

Meals: B - L
Day-use: Rooms in day-use till 18.00 hrs (all rooms ensuite and with aircon)

Day 1: Accra City Hotel or similar, Accra, Ghana
Day 2: Cisneros Hotel or similar,
Day 3: Hotel Madiba or similar, Lomé, Togo
Day 4: Hotel Casa del Papa or similar, Ouidah, Benin
Day 5: Hotel Jeko or similar, Benin
Day 6: Hotel Tata Somba or similar, Benin
Day 7: Hotel Central or similar, Togo
Day 8: Auberge JP Nectar (all rooms ensuite), Togo
Day 9: New Capital View or similar, Ghana
Day 10: Miklin Hotel or similar, Ghana
Day 11: Anomabu Beach Resort or similar, Ghana